{"id":87365,"date":"2026-02-15T11:07:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T14:07:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/winter-olympics-briefing-josie-baff-burnishes-australias-golden-aura-winter-olympics-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-02-15T11:07:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T14:07:17","slug":"winter-olympics-briefing-josie-baff-burnishes-australias-golden-aura-winter-olympics-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/en\/winter-olympics-briefing-josie-baff-burnishes-australias-golden-aura-winter-olympics-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Winter Olympics briefing: Josie Baff burnishes Australia\u2019s golden aura | Winter Olympics 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"


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T<\/span>he kangaroos were bouncing and the sun beamed down. If she squinted a little (a lot) then Josie Baff may have just thought she was in her birthplace of Cooma, New South Wales, when she struck gold at Milano Cortina.<\/p>\n

Never mind that the sun was reflecting off the pearly white snow in Livigno and the kangaroos were inflatable, held aloft by fans. The 23-year-old looked right at home as she stormed to victory in the women\u2019s snowboard cross, claiming her first Olympic medal<\/a> and marking the first time since Vancouver 2010 that Australia had celebrated two gold medals at a single Winter Games.<\/p>\n

After battling through qualifying on the winding 1.1km course in the Italian Alps, Baff sat in second for much of the proceedings. But midway through the women\u2019s cross final, where the four best snowboarders fly side-by-side down a swirling course, she made her move.<\/p>\n

She surged ahead and crossed the line just 0.04sec clear of the Czech Republic\u2019s Eva Adamczykova, who added silver to her glittering Olympic collection after gold at Sochi 2014 and bronze at Pyeongchang 2018. Bronze went to Italy\u2019s Michela Moioli, sending the home crowd into raptures. Baff\u2019s win came hot on the heels of her fellow Australian Cooper Woods, who struck gold 24 hours earlier<\/a> in the men\u2019s moguls. \u201cSeeing [Woods win] yesterday definitely sparked a little fire in me,\u201d said Baff. \u201cI thought: if he can do it, I can do it too.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>Good luck charm: Australian fans hold up blow-up kangaroos in support of Josie Baff. <\/span> Photograph: David Ramos\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Under sunny skies, Baff jumped up and down on the podium as the anthem played. \u201cTo have my name called out and the national anthem played is truly crazy,\u201d she said \u201cI would like to say that I can\u2019t believe it but I kind of can. I feel like I deserve it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite finishing 17th in the seedings, Baff grew more confident as the pressure built through each heat. \u201cEach round that I make it through, I get less and less nervous,\u201d Baff said. \u201cEven though the pressure theoretically should be getting more and more, I trust myself more and more. I just knew, from no matter what position that I was in out of the start, that I could make a pass and that I had the skills.<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t won in a very long time, and to win here at this event and have one of the world\u2019s most sought-after gold medals around my neck is absolutely incredible, and I wouldn\u2019t change anything for the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Australia celebrated, it was disappointment for Great Britain\u2019s Charlotte Bankes<\/a>. The former world champion exited in the quarter-finals after a tough draw that included both Baff and Adamczykova. \u201cI messed up,\u201d admitted a crestfallen Bankes. \u201cToday is nothing to do with injuries. It\u2019s just a disappointing performance from me and I\u2019m just sorry to everybody watching.\u201d She will now regroup for the mixed team event, where anything can happen in a sport famous for thrills and spills.<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>Charlotte Bankes (far right) was unable to advance past the snowboard cross quarter-finals.<\/span> Photograph: Patrick Smith\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Elsewhere, the rifles cracked, the skis flew and France found its sharpshooter king as Quentin Fillon Maillet delivered a masterclass in precision and pace to seize gold in the men\u2019s 10km sprint biathlon, clocking 22min 53.1sec in a performance that left the field scrambling for silver. Here is the headline stat: 10 shots, 10 hits. Zero mistakes.<\/p>\n

First out among the top seeds, the 33-year-old laid down a blazing early marker with slick skiing and flawless marksmanship. From that moment, the race became a battle for second. By the finish, he had secured the fourth Olympic gold medal of his career. \u201cThe emotions are different from a face-to-face race because when I cross the line, I\u2019m still not sure of anything and it gradually sinks in,\u201d Fillon Maillet said. \u201cI dedicate this result to my partner because we\u2019re expecting a baby \u2013 I want to announce it today.\u201d A golden performance and a golden announcement.<\/p>\n

Behind him, it was an all-Norwegian duel. Vetle Sj\u00e5stad Christiansen dug deep on the final stretch, throwing every ounce of energy into the snow to snatch silver. He crossed the line 2.2sec ahead of his teammate Sturla Holm L\u00e6greid and 13.7sec behind the untouchable Frenchman.<\/p>\n

L\u00e6greid, who had already taken bronze in the men\u2019s individual earlier in the Games and then made headlines for revealing his affair<\/a>, had looked set for silver after perfect shooting and a fierce final lap. But Christiansen had just a little more in the tank.<\/p>\n

As it stands<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Brits are finally, finally<\/em>, finally<\/a><\/strong> on the board!<\/p>\n

1 🇳🇴 <\/strong>Norway 🥇 10<\/strong> 🥈 3<\/strong> 🥉 7<\/strong> \u2013 Total: 20
<\/strong>\u200b2 🇮🇹 Italy <\/strong>🥇 6 🥈 3 🥉 9<\/strong> \u2013 Total: 18
<\/strong>3 🇺🇸 United States 🥇 5 🥈 8 🥉 4<\/strong> \u2013 Total: 17
<\/strong>4 🇦🇹 Austria 🥇 4 🥈 6 🥉 3<\/strong> \u2013 Total: 13
<\/strong>5 <\/strong>🇫🇷 France 🥇 4 🥈 6 🥉 2<\/strong> \u2013 Total: 12
<\/strong>6 🇩🇪 Germany 🥇 4<\/strong> 🥈 5<\/strong> 🥉 4 <\/strong>\u2013 Total: 13
\u2013 \u2013 \u2013<\/strong>
11 🇦🇺 Australia 🥇 3 🥈 1 🥉 0 <\/strong>\u2013 Total: 4
<\/strong>15 🇬🇧 Great Britain 🥇 1 🥈 0 🥉 0 <\/strong>\u2013 Total: 1<\/strong><\/p>\n

Full medal table<\/a><\/p>\n

Picture of the day<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/svg><\/span>Johannes H\u00f8sflot Kl\u00e6bo wins his eighth gold medal, which ties the record for most gold medals won at the Winter Games. <\/span> Photograph: St\u00e9phanie Lecocq\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Further reading from the Guardian<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Schedule<\/a> | Results<\/a><\/p>\n

What to look out for today<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Times are all in local time in Milan and Cortina. For Sydney it is +10 hours, for London it is -1 hour, for New York it is -6 hours and San Francisco it is -9 hours.<\/p>\n